Pole-head device for vehicles.



N0. 698,390. Patented Apr. 22, I902.

T. H. BRIGG.

POLE HE AD DEVICE FOR VEHICLES.-

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS HARGREAVES BRIGG, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR OF SEVEN-TWENTIETHS TO CHARLES .WILLIAM WALKER, OF BRADFORD, YORK- SHIRE,ENGLAND.

P OLE-l-lEAD DEVICE FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFI CATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 698,390, dated April22, 1902.

Application filed July 12, 1901- Serial No. 68,062- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS HARGREAVES BRIGG, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain and Ireland, and a resident of London, England, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Pole-Head Devices forCarriages and other Vehicles, (for which I have filed an application forBritish Patent No. 22,983, dated December 15, 1900;) and I do herebydeclare the following to bea full,clear, and exact description of thesame.

Thisinvention relates to improved means of connecting two or moredraft-animals driven abreast to the poles of carriages and othervehicles, its object being to effect such connection in such manner asto allow the animals such liberty of lateral movement on each side oftheir normal draft positions that when in draft they will run naturallyfree, straight, and parallel and independent of and free frominterference with each other and subject only to their natural movementsand so that when retarding or backing the vehicle their actions thereonwill be caused to be effected in planes parallel with the pole atwhatever distance from the latter they may happen to be when pulled up,so that the animals will not, either when pulling or when backing, besubject to any interference by swaying movements of the pole or to anylateral thrust or pull tending to cause them to exert a counter thrustor pull or to throw them off their feet, but will be enabled to runnaturally free, straight, and parallel and to exercise their stopping orbacking action to the best advantage under all circumstances and,moreover, can be immediately released should they fall.

To this end the invention is characterized by connecting the animals tothe pole by a backing arm or arms connected to the pole and projectingconsiderablybeyond the planes of the animals normal draftpositions andby yokingthe animals collars to the arm or arms in such manner that theyoking connections can freely slide along the latter and can be readilyreleased therefrom, as hereinafter more particularly described withreference to the accompanying drawings, on which Figures 1 and 2represent plan views of different arrangements of the apparatus, the

dotted lines 00 representing the normal draft positions of thedraft-animals, and the dotted lines 3 representing other positions theaniis connected to the pole h by a carrier 0, suitably secured to thelatter.

In the arrangement of Fig. 2 two separate backing-arms a are used, onefor each of two animals abreast, and are each pivotally connected to acarrier 0 and secured to the pole end by a pole-piece d, so as to beheld at right angles thereto when the animals are retarding or backingthe vehicle. 1

The arms or arm on extend considerably beyond the planes w of theanimals centers when in their normal draft positions and (m'cle Fig. 1)are formed with slip-l1ook ends e, which enable the kidney-link rings fof the animals collars to be easily yoked or slid from ofi the arms andprovide for a wide extent of travel of the rings on each side of theanimals normal draft positions. I

The slip-hook ends are pivoted to the arms at h and slotted at i andthere adapted to engage with a studj, rising from the arm and slotted at76, and to be locked to the arm a when the animals are yoked to thevehicle by a pin or strap Z, passed through the slot 70, and which uponbeing removed allows of the animals being instantly released should theyfall or should occasion otherwise necessitate, or (wide Fig. 2) thebacking-arms and the polepieces holding them to the pole end may beconnected by slip or spring hooks e, which serve the twofold purpose ofallowing of the ready connection and disconnection of the pole-piecesand arms and of the animals being readily yoked to the arms withlibertyof free movementtherealong on each side of the animals normal draftpositions and unyoked therefrom. The improved connection thus allows theanimals such liberty of lateral movement on each side of their normaldraft positions that when in draft they will run naturally free,straight, and parallel and independent of and free from interferencewith each other and subject only to their natural movements and will notbe subject to any lateral restraint or interference tending to causethem to offer any opposing action or to the liability of theirequilibrium being interfered with by lateral swaying of the pole, sothat all causes which in existing connections of draft-animals tocarriage-poles render the animals liable to be thrown will be avoided,

while when the animals are retarding orb'acking the vehicle the pull ofthe collar connec tions against the fore parts of the backingarms, inalinement at the time with their centers, will necessarily cause theirretarding or backing action on the vehicle to be effected in planesparallel with the pole at whatever distance therefrom the animals mayhappen to be when pulled up, and, moreover, should the animals falltheimproved connection will enable them to be readily released.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The combination with a carriage-pole of a backing arm or armssupported by the pole and projecting forward of the animals collarsconsiderably beyond the planes of-the animals normal draft positions andformed with slip-hook ends serving to enable the animals collar-rings tobe easily yoked to and unyoked from the arms and to provide for a wideextent of free travel of the collar-rings along the arms on each side ofthe animals normal draft positions, so as to enable the animals to runstraight and parallel and to cause their retarding or backing actions onthe vehicle to be effected in planes parallel to the pole at whateverdistance therefrom they may happen to be when pulled up, as set forth.

2. The combination with a vehicle-pole, of an arm serving as a backingattachment, and a collar-connectin g device, the arm being connected tothe pole and extending considerably beyond the plane of the animalsnormal draft position, and the connecting device having unrestrainedfree play along the arm to the extent of the animals liberty of lateralmovement 011 each side of its normal position, so enabling the animal torun straight and parallel with the pole andto exert its backing actionon the vehicle in a plane parallel with the pole at whatever distancetherefrom it may happen to be when pulled up, as set forth.

3. The combination with a vehicle-pole, of an arm connected thereto andextending considerably beyond the plane of the animals normal draftposition, a collar-connecting ring on said arm having unrestrained freeplay along the same to the extent of the animals liberty of lateralmovement on each side of its normal position, and a slip-hook at the endof the arm whereby the animal can be readily yoked and unyoked, can runstraight and parallel with the pole and exert its backing action on thevehicle in a plane parallel with the pole at whatever distance therefromit may happen to be when pulled up.

i In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS HARGREAVES BRIGG.

Witnesses:

M. H. BAUGH, RALPH JENKINS.

